Winners & Losers In 2013 Forbes MBA Ranking

UC-Davis Graduate School of Management

But the actual ranking is based on the net cumulative amount a typical alum of the school has earned after five years by getting their MBA versus staying in their pre-MBA career. The magazine adjusts the median five-year MBA gain for cost of living expenses and discounts gains using a rate tied to money market yields. It also discounts tuition to account for students who pay in-state rates and for the non-repayable financial aid that schools dole out.

On that basis, the schools losing the most ground? City University of New York’s Baruch College plunged 16 places to finish 66th, and both Case Western Reserve and Wake Forest dropped 13 places each to finish 62nd and 43rd, respectively. Seven business schools fell out of the Forbes list entirely, including schools with very good MBA programs.

It’s not clear why they were not included this year. If the response rate to Forbes alumni survey is below 15%, a school is automatically not included on the ranking. So it’s possible that these schools dropped out because of an inadequate response rate from MBA alums. They include the MBA programs at Babson College, Thunderbird, Fordham, Auburn, Hofstra, American, and Williamette.

Losing Ground in the Forbes 2013 MBA Ranking

Source: Forbes 2013 & 2011 MBA Rankings

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